I Don't Feel Like Writing-Buster and Me

Is it possible to live your life today, without measuring time.  Can we get rid of calendars, watches and clocks?  Sure, this is possible.  Do we want to do this?  No.  How's that?
There are times when I should only write short passages.  Sometimes I should only write small paragraphs, especially on days like these when I have nothing to say and do not really do not want to write at all.

A dialogue:
Me:  I don't want to write 750 words today.  I have nothing to say.
Buster:  But you said you were going to take the challenge in July, and succeed.
Me:  I don't care what I said.  I am canceling my participation, today, --now.
Buster:  I reminded you like you asked.
Me:  No you didn't.  You wrote a program.  What we get is automated e-mails.  You're not fooling anyone.
Buster:  You said, "I really want to practice writing.  I have to write a novel, and get it published.  That is my goal."  Didn't you say that?
Me:  Yeah, well . . .I can do that later.  If I live to be 85 and it takes me five years of writing to get a novel published, I can start writing in a couple of years.   I've waited all this time.
Buster:  750words.com was created to help you with your writing.  If you don't write, it has no reason to exist.
Me:  Sorry for your luck.  You might want to create some more programs and websites.  Foreign languages are popular.  Why don't you create a 75 foreign words a day website.  Spanish is a favorite.
Buster:  Come on.  It's just 750 words.  Three pages. You've done 12 days in a row already, this month.  You could churn it out on those days.  What is special about today?
Me:  I'm the special thing about today.  I'm saying no.  No way.  Not doing it today.
Buster:  So many other people do it all the time.  Little old ladies, children, blind people, amputees, people who work two jobs, CEO's.  People write against all odds.  What are you, a wimp.  Are you wimping out?
Me:  Uh, I wouldn't call it that.  Free will.  I'm exercising my free will.
Buster:  Most philosophers, today, say there is no free will.  Everything is pre-determined by what we are made of and our individual situations.
Me:  Man, you make it hard.  What if I get somebody else to do it?
Buster:  You can do what you want.  The only person who really cares beside me is you.  You have staked your own integrity on doing this.  Writing every day and writing thirty one days in a row.  You told yourself you could do it.
Me:  Aw, now your playing dirty.  You're turning me in to my better self.  That's low down.
Buster:  I've worked people through this before.  You can do it.  Sometimes I have to get rough.
Me:  Whew!  I'm beat.  I think I'll turn in.
Buster:  No, no.  I'm not falling for that.  You still have to do the work.  You still have to write for today.  Then, tomorrow you'll have to do the same thing.
Me:  Damn you, Buster.  You catch me at every trick.
Buster:  You're not even close to being the best trickster.  I've had people threaten to turn me in to my wife, claiming I was having an affair with them.  Somebody else said they were going to turn me in to the U.N. claiming I was enslaving them.
Me:  Okay, I'm just about ready.  I'm starting to get the urge.  Tell me some more of people's tricks to get out of writing.
Buster:  A lot of people just type other people's words.  Some even copy and paste.  What is that doing for their writing ability.  I ask you.
Me:  Those people have a lot of nerve.  They're just cheating themselves.  Don't they understand?
Buster:  Exactly.  That's what I'm saying.  Who are we doing this for anyway.  It's not for me.
Me:  I'm getting some ideas.  My fingers are starting to twitch.
Buster:   There's really nothing to it.  You can write about anything you want.  Only you  are going to be able to read it.  Do you think I'm reading this drivel, this piffle.  I've got a life, thank you.
Me:  But, I thought, you might. . . you know . . . every once in a while . . . just to check to see how the website is working.
Buster:  Are you kidding?  That's what I have interns for.  Get writing.  It's after 9pm already, and you are one of the slowest writers, according to the statistics I'm keeping on you.
Me:  I know.  Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about that.  Also, the quality of my writing.  Who are you to judge the quality of my writing, computer boy?
Buster:  It's my website.  I can do what I want.  I'm taking your picture with your webcam also.  You know you make funny faces when you write?  Sometimes you stick your tongue out.
Me:  Hey! You don't say anything about that on the website.

Not Enough Caring-I'm Speaking Out Nevertheless

Commentary tonight, concerning the state of marriage and college instructors.  How many marriages fail, between couples who married young.  Then the young husband teaches for 5, 10, 15 years and is attracted or captured by a young female undergrad or graduate student.  The first marriage ends and a new one ensues.  Often, children result from the second marriage.  There may be children from the first, but they usually go with the first wife.  Women find this phenomenon deplorable unless they are the younger second wife.  It looks like biology to me.   The younger women win out over the older women.  In middle eastern cultures, and older asian cultures, the older, first wife would hang in there and continue her position in the household, if at a secondary status.  I'm sure the intra-household politics was killer, sometimes literally.

Second commentary-At this writing, the final NASA space shuttle mission is underway.  There will be no more.  Thanks to a lack of interest, or the military industrial complex running this country, NASA's programs have been pushed to the back burner.  What has replaced pure science was the pure bullshit of W's administration, faux nation building, or what it used to be called, imperialism.  Where is the government's participation in pure science.  It is minuscule or non-existant. There is no prescription for how much the government should be sponsoring pure science, but it looks like the Apollo program did not hurt this country.  Greed and lust for power have won out again.

Third commentary-During the last forty years or so, the federal government has, through legislation, extended the country's debt limit sixty-three times.  It will need to be done, again, within the next three weeks.  Most people think it is a foregone conclusion, a fait accompli, but not me.  The Republican Congress vows to exact both tax cut continuations and government program cuts in exchange for increasing the debt limit.  The Obama administration believes they can get a deal to close tax loopholes for corporations and the ultra-rich to raise revenues without giving the Republicans anything in return.  They are wrong.  The Republicans will prevail or the deadline will pass, and there will be a default on the debt owed.  That has never happened, and nobody really knows what that will mean if it does, but it is my opinion that defaulted debt will trigger world wide economic collapse, the like of which has not been seen since the Great Depression, when the government also thought that what it legislated would make no difference.  Tune in August 3, 2011 for the results.  I will need to write the result for my own update.

Commentary 4-I am no scientist.  I am no ecologist.  Nevertheless, I feel comfortable predicting continuing global disasters in weather, environmental disaster like floods and earthquakes, and manmade ruin from manufacturing byproducts, and attempted oil, gas, and coal extraction.  This is no great observation on my part.  Any thinking person can observe and say the same thing.  The next coming disaster will be the lack of drinkable fresh water to serve the needs of 7 billion humans.  Already, water resources are being wrapped up like buyable commodities.  The majority of humans should not allow this.  The worlds fresh water belongs to everyone, and the animals and plants have a say in this as well, if they could say anything.  Their say will be in their deaths.  If they don't have enough water, they will die.  If plants and animals die, humans will follow.  Ignorant human beings will learn the definition of ecosystem, the hard way.

These are my views and do not represent the views of any organization or company, because none are paying me.  There actually may be organizations that hold the same views, but I am saying these things on my own, because they need to be said.  Newspapers cannot afford to say these things anymore.  Their owners won't allow it.  Big business has not figured out that they can only continue to make their obscene profits if people buy their products and services.  Unfortunately, dying and dead folks do not need to buy goods and services.  You cannot sell cattle and hogs that do not thrive.  You cannot sell corn and other produce that will not grow.

I would agree to publish these views if asked.  I will actually put them in my unread blog.  Nobody wants to hear these views.  The actions required to reverse or alleviate the situations take too much time, effort and money.  People are not impressed with the problems to work out the solutions.

Congratulations on 100 years, IBM

My first personal computer, albeit used, was a PS-1.  I bought it from the hospital I worked for at the time for a song, when they bought brand new ones.   I learned some Basic.  I downloaded some programs my friends had and new ones they wrote.  I really thought I was going somewhere in the computer industry.  Okay, that didn't happen, but I can work my way around one now, and I know own several computer devices, mostly Apple products, sorry IBM.  Still I thank you piquing my digital curiosity.  You helped to draw out my professional aspirations and provide me with the basis for my current use of computers, primarily the internet, ITunes, and movies, with a few spreadsheets and some Word docs thrown in.  Thank you.  Sorry about the whole Nazi thing during WWII.  I believe you when you say that evil wasn't what you had in mind.

Jim's Rules

Purpose:  Rules to aid in the pursuit of a sometimes happy and productive life:

I.  A golden rule type policy involved with treating people in the way that you would like to be treated.  Fairly deep, fairly important.

II.  Engage in violence only when there is an imminent threat to someone you should protect or yourself.

III.  Get plenty of exercise to prolong your life.

IV.  Keep your life organized, neat and efficient.

V.  (The rule to be listed last, if this list is ever completed.)  Be on the lookout for significant rules to accomplish the purpose.

VII.  Maintain a strong social network.

VIII.  Remain close to civilization. and be as civilized as you can be, according to your own standards.  (Note to self:  Create standards)

IX.  Keep writing to sweep away the cobwebs and to practice how to express what your mind is thinking.

X.  Do not take unnecessary risks.

XI.  Steal from the lists of other's rules as needed.  You can't have enough guidelines to be a success to yourself.

XII.  Speed up occasionally.  Slowing down is an inevitable process of aging.  Speed up to stay ahead of this process.

XIII.  Maintain capital in a nearby, safe location.

XIV.  Maintain the ability to earn more capital, if necessary.

XV.  Eat responsibly.  You know what that is.

XVI.  Be faithful to all of your commitments unless they expire or become invalid.

XVII.  Be impeccable with the Word, or word.

XVIII. Do not assume, or be aware when you are assuming.  No auto-assuming.

XIX.  Do not take things personally.  They are rarely meant that way.

XX.  Say please and thank you.  See Rule #VIII.

XXI.  Always do your best.  What are you saving it for, and if it's not worth giving your best, question why you are doing it at all.

Obligatory Observations

For those of us who observe and comment with any amount of education, experience of age, or simply, a small amount of artful articulation, there is an obligation to do so, responsibly, and with a certain amount of frequency.  I have a great deal of professional health-care experience.  There are topics in health-care I am obliged to comment upon them simply because I have that experience and expertise.  Specifically, I know about pharmaceutical supply and medical supply costs and how obscenely profitable these industries are in the U.S. thanks to the insurance industry and the medicare system.

Because of the way both of these institutions have operated in the last forty years, double digit inflation is the standard operating procedure.  Most American just accepted these outrageous increases until the banking crisis and resulting recession in the last three years.  Now we know these kind of cost rises cannot be sustained and should not even be proposed.  Both the medical insurance industry and Medicare/Medicaid will have to accept little or no increases in payments.

Since I know this and can make this observation, it is incumbent upon me to do so for my readers.  Fortunately, at the moment, I don't have any.

If it is blogged, will it be read?

How is it that so many people write and publish on the web, and so many other people read their every commentary? Many people blog professionally. According to a 2009 Wall Street Journal article, over 452, 000 people show blogging as their primary source of income. How does one establish oneself as a professional blogger? Do you have to be easily accessible, or is it necessary to push it on a site like MySpace? Do the topics you write about have to be commonly interesting? Does your language have to be simple, say ninth grade reading level (U.S.)?

What about profundity? Do you have to strive to find original statements, or does stealing the best thoughts get you paid, like Shakespeare? Send me your thoughts, followers.

Reasons for Having a Serious Long Term Relationship

(For my single friends)

• Companionship
• Has ideas you do not and would not have
• Has relatives you can help
• Will help to clean the house, buy clothes, decorate, feed the cat
• Will cook things you would not
• Might help to bring you out of yourself
• Health insurance (maybe)
• Might help you to understand other people
• They will take you to new places
• Will be someone you can help and take care of
• Someone to bounce ideas off of
• Someone to touch and be touched by
• Might help you to keep grounded
• Someone to confirm what you already knew